NFU Mutual’s Charitable Trust has distributed more than £1.2m to rural and community causes across the UK in 2025, backing 28 organisations tackling pressures from rural poverty to food insecurity.
The funding forms part of NFU Mutual’s wider £4m charitable giving commitment for the year and is aimed at supporting farming families, rural businesses and communities facing increasing economic and social challenges.
Among the largest grants is £150,000 awarded to FareShare, the UK’s leading food redistribution charity, which will use the funding to transport additional surplus food from farms and food businesses to people in need.
FareShare works with a nationwide network of more than 8,000 charities and community groups, including schools, homelessness shelters, refuges and community kitchens.
Alongside FareShare, the Trust’s 2025 funding supports a broad range of organisations focused on rural welfare, agricultural education and community resilience.
These include farming support charities, Young Farmers’ organisations, education trusts and rural wellbeing groups operating across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Charitable Trust is one of the main ways NFU Mutual delivers targeted donations, guided by an independent panel of trustees who help ensure funding reflects the needs of farming and rural communities throughout the UK.
Jim McLaren MBE, chairman of NFU Mutual and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, said the funding comes at a critical time. “We know these are tough times for people living and working in farming and rural communities,” he said.
“This funding will help deliver a wide range of initiatives across the UK, from tackling rural poverty and supporting small farming businesses to promoting agricultural education and improving health and wellbeing. We’re proud to stand behind these important causes through the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.”
FareShare said the grant would have a direct impact on communities across the country. Graham Kelly, head of fundraising at FareShare, said: “We are so grateful to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust for supporting us in this two-year programme.”
He said FareShare food is redistributed to “over 8,000 charities across the UK, including homelessness shelters, schools, refuges, lunch clubs and community kitchens”, helping millions of people experiencing food insecurity while also reducing food waste.
“Thanks to the funding from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, we can directly cover the cost of rescuing the equivalent of 2.04 million meals worth of edible surplus food, transporting it from farms to communities that need it most, including those in rural areas,” he added.
Applications for the Trust’s next round of funding, which will be awarded in June 2026, are now open, with NFU Mutual encouraging charities working in farming and rural communities to apply.
